What Is a Serval Cat?

The coats are predominantly shades of tan or orange with black or dark brown markings. The coat pattern helps the cats disguise themselves when hunting in tall grasses.

The website Small Cats of Africa offers an explanation of this exotic cat’s history:1

“The serval was the symbol of the Italian Tomasi family, princess of the island of Lampedusa. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, wrote the famous Italian novel IlGattopardo. Despite being known as The Leopard in English, the Italian title actually refers to a serval. The serval’s North African range is near Lampedusa.”

According to the book Classical Cats, “In second-millennium BC Egypt, the serval was an exotic import from sub-Saharan Africa. When it was depicted in Egyptian art, it was frequently as a gift or trade object from Nubia.”2

These habitats can be expensive to create, and keeping too small of an area or an interior-only option will not allow a serval cat to expel all their energy or fulfill their natural instincts.3

As a commenter below this article, J Freed, says, “They are clever. When we moved into our new home, [our pet serval cat] promptly escaped. We got her 3 days later after a tip took us to her location. The enclosures need to be sturdy, provide for their comfort, rough play and safety.”

6. Servals like to mark their territory.

As someone named Lolo commented below, Lolo’s pet serval cat “did really well with his litter habits, but still enjoyed peeing in/on things in the house. If I told him NO, he would slap me HARD. He was extremely stubborn.”

7. Serval cats are not recommended for households with young children.

They play using their teeth and claws, and they may be too rough with children or view them as toys or prey. This is not likely, but it is possible.6,7

As Lolo again commented, “We had a baby — that’s where it really went downhill. [Our pet serval cat] HATED the baby. He slapped and hissed at us after we handled the baby. We had to keep them separate 24/7. It was exhausting.”

And then, Lolo says, “it happened.” The serval “attacked our baby.”

“The baby had TEETH marks on her temple and next to the eye,” Lolo says. “That was the last straw. He probably viewed the baby as prey and/or as a threat. Regardless, we couldn’t risk our child or visitors. Luckily, we found him a good home.”

8. Serval cats play — hard.

They can knock over large items, scratch and tear furnishings, jump extremely high, and crash into things during their many excursions.

The cats are strong with fast reflexes, and they even use their teeth and claws during play.

Plus, scratches are much worse with serval cats. Their strength is much higher than that of a normal cat and even if they don’t mean harm, they can cause it simply by playing.

“Servals have a bite force at the canine teeth of 172 Newtons, whereas feral domestic cats have a bite force of 56 Newtons,” notes a 2016 Queensland Government safety report. “Because of this higher bite force, servals can subdue larger prey than can feral cats.”

9. Serval cats don’t chase their prey like leopards and other cats in the wild.

They listen and wait until ready, then they jump in the air8 and land on their prey.

Once they hold them or incapacitate them with their weight, they usually deliver a fatal bite to the neck.

Servals are considered the best hunters in the cat world, with a nearly 50% kill rate.9 (A domestic cat’s kill rate is more like 10%.)

10. The average life expectancy for a serval cat is around 22 years.10

This is longer than the average domestic cat (15 years11), so you should understand the responsibility of taking care of a wild animal for a long time before deciding to get one.

Should I Get a Serval Cat?

While some of them can be affectionate, they don’t do well with changing families and need space to fulfill their natural instincts.

Don’t confuse space with efficiency — just because you have multiple acres doesn’t mean you can just drop a serval onto the property and they will fend for themselves.

There are so many cats and other animals waiting for homes in shelters and rescues across the country and the world. So please consider giving one of them a home before taking the risks of serval cats explained above.